Ürs, by Christopher Hayes and Daniel Talsky

Ürs is a choice-based story about a rabbit who appeals to aliens (or some variety of advanced being) to save the warren from its imminent destruction. Comparisons to “Watership Down” are inevitable, but this work has an original tone and art style.

Gameplay: Although the game is choice-based, gameplay varies from puzzles to conversation trees to exploration. None of the puzzles are particularly elaborate, though, and the game is mostly about just wandering around the environment. It’s a very diverse environment with many compelling areas, though, so the exploration doesn’t feel like a chore. 7/10.

Mechanics: The different areas of the game are seamlessly put together, and exploration was smooth throughout. The world was smaller than I first expected, though, and more puzzles, conversations, or locations to visit would have made it a more memorable experience and improved its pacing. 6/10.

Presentation: The art in the game is excellent, and it complements the text rather than being a distraction or pointless embellishment. Both the illustrations and text remind me of a children’s book. Aside from a few minor mistakes in spelling and punctuation, the text was solid. The tone might have grated a bit in a longer work (e.g., “Without the Warrenherd rabbits might not do anything other than scuffle, dig and sleep the rest of their time away in the fluffle huddle.”), but it was fine for a game of this scope. 8/10.

You might be interested in this game if: You like children’s books about rabbits.